Powys launches online deaf, blind services

Local residents who are deaf or blind will find it easier to communicate with the county council thanks to significant website improvements that support access to information and advice online.

The website, which already had a broad range of information in both Welsh and English with leaflets to download and print, now offers sign language and a new app to make information easier to access.

The two innovative additions are British Sign Language (BSL) films, and Browsealoud, an app to help people listen to information.

Cllr Stephen Hayes, Cabinet Member for Adult Services said: “Our main aim was to ensure that deaf and deafblind people have the same opportunities as everyone else, and the same access to education, employment and services. BSL is a visual-gestural language, with its own grammar and principles, which are completely different from the grammatical structure of Welsh and English.

“The addition of BSL is very new for the council, and our aim is to build on the nine pages that have been interpreted in early spring of 2018.

“The second addition to the council website was Browsealoud. The app adds speech, reading, and translation to the council’s website which supports people with Dyslexia, mild visual impairments and people who have difficulty in reading.”